Quickest blog entry ever today, before I miss another week from drowning in taxes. Six more weeks of this.

Broke 60k on Harvester the book! Not without fighting myself over lack of inspiration (what the hell happens next? I’ve got the larger picture, but the smaller?) and the predictable how-on-earth-did-I-think-I-could-ever-ever-ever-pull-this-off chanting in my head nearly every morning. And the entirety of every day when I think about all the short stories I’m not writing in order to get the first draft of this book done. And the ever-present nausea, which continues to be an issue even six months into this baby-carrying thing. And I miss running so much. Onward ho!

Caitlin R. Kiernan’s The Drowning Girl came out yesterday, and I read Chapter 1 last night. I’m going to try and savor this experience as best possible.

I’m playing through the game again since its official release, as the testing phase is off my phone. I’m loving the progression from beginning to more advanced levels, as well as trying to catch all the ladybugs (although I’m dreading the ice spikes in the Winterlands, which seriously give me heart palpitations). John is working on the first update, which will let the player see the tutorial any time they want/need to; I’m lucky in that I’ve learned how to play as he’s coded the game. That damned double jump is tricky, and is absolutely key to getting through the levels. Oh, and he’s got the iPad version coming up, with the art in retina mode (I think I said that right?), and a whole new level set to build – the Firelands. I’m most excited for that.

Oh, and the youtube video, in case you need any more convincing. Go on, buy it!

We’re going to bite the bullet and see John Carter this weekend. I know, I know. Could regret it. But we’ve both agreed to enjoy it for what it is. Plus, I’m going to need some fun since I’ll likely be at work a good deal of Saturday.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately on short story writing versus noveling, but I’ll save that for another day, perhaps when I’m done with this book.

Speaking of the book, Harvester/Alchemist/Heloise Book 1 reached 52k this week, although not because I added thousands of new words. While I did some, I also managed to rehab the outline even further, and work in some of the chapters I’d cut out from before, having thought them unusable. It sort of feels like cheating, but given that they fit now, I’m okay with that.

And now I’m very, very close to having no other “safety net” words, and only dozens of blank pages before me. That’s actually been the scary part of this week – dealing the crap my mind throws at me to intimidate me, specifically regarding the Julian chapters and the wrong turns I may potentially take (or have already taken and have yet to realize). What if I don’t even need his point of view? What if I cannot pull off a dual point of view? What if I can’t do the political thing and keep him occupied until he turns into crazy socialist dictator? Far too many what-ifs going on here … and that was this week.

In the chapters to be written/cleaned up this next week, the alloy is going to succeed, and both Heloise and Julian are going to start thinking much, much bigger. Or at least, Julian will, and conniving will become his middle name.

Other super exciting news – John sent Carl the Spider off to Apple! He should hear back in a few days and then it will be up on the App store.

Honestly, I still have a few levels to beat. I think I’ve made it through the Grasslands, the entire first level set, but some of the Winterlands levels are unrelenting. For this impatient player, the result is a lot of yelling and saying words that I probably shouldn’t type, and trying not to throw my phone every time I go too fast and impale Carl on an ice spike. Yet I keep trying, since the levels are just so neat.

I started reading Lauren Beukes’ Zoo City this week. Truthfully, the book has sat on my floor for two months given the hideous large print and how irritating I find it to read. But I pulled it out on Tuesday and within the first page, forgot about the size of the words. While I’m not usually much for noir and am mostly over present tense, neither of things mattered to me once I started reading, and I’m utterly floored at the color of the book. Not so much of Zoo City itself, but of Beukes’ fresh narrative and how she colors even the simplest of actions.

Clarion pal Brooke Bolander has a story up at Strange Horizons this month, one that caused quite a bit of discussion amidst our class; another unique tale well worth the read.

Work continues to be madness – but only seven more weeks of tax season left!

John and I went to see the movie Real Steel on Saturday, and for me, it was the best movie I’ve seen yet this year. The robots just left me speechless – perhaps because I’ve been waiting to write a really good robot story. I planned to at Clarion, but never got to it, and its been burning in the back of my brain since…well, any time I glance at my bookshelf and see Tanith Lee’s Silver Metal Lover and Metallic Love, both of which I adore like nothing else. Oh, and let’s not forget Electric Forest. Just wow. The way Lee paints obsession, and the non-human humanity of metal flesh (and affinity for).

Soon. I’ve got to write that one soon.

Anyway, the movie was just fantastic. I know, another father-son redemption story, but the son was just so spunky (although the female lead drove me nuts – how many times did she REALLY need to say the main character’s name when talking to him? Writer’s fault, there. But … she just seemed to try too hard. Her character, anyway, and the romance felt contrived. Although by the end she seemed to feel more organic to the story – in a typical woman sidekick way.) And I was very, very glad they didn’t push the “this robot is different because he’s real! cliche.” That would have been so disappointing.

So yes, go see.

Next up: Breaking Bad.

Apparently, this show started in 2008, but I haven’t really heard of it (or anyone raving about it, for that matter) until my friend Brooke started tweeting her love for it. Needless to say, John and I are hooked. Fantastic writing, fantastic acting, and the drama is actually a little too much for me at times – I’m in a constant state of tension watching it, so I may need a little break from it soon. As soon as I find out what happens next. But there’s not another show on right now that’s grabbed me in the same way – Walking Dead season 2 premieres next week, and while I loved the first 3 or so episodes of season 1, it petered out fast, so I have my doubts with that (despite the fantastic preview, which makes me want to sit and write a zombie story NOW. Still appealing, despite the over-and-done-with of the craze). And no Game of Thrones until….next year? So that leaves us with … Family Guy. Not really the same thing.

Let’s see – Embassytown, by Mievelle. I couldn’t even get through the last thirty pages, and so I finally put it down. Not enough character for me – I need a seriously zoomed-in-on protagonist, and Avice (best name EVER) was never accessible. And now that I think about it, nor was the physical world. Too much…technical detail. I think I’m just not the best reader for it, although I did see its genius.

So I’ve brought with me today Charles Yu’s How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe and VanderMeer’s Finch, the latter a reread, because I’m craving dystopia/post-apocolyptia, per the usual. And because I need novels right now, as I work through Harvester the book, and to soak in as much as I can in terms of chapter to chapter motion, larger themes, and drawing all of that together in a seamless (and coherent) fashion.

Yesterday, I outlined the entirety of the first book including the male protag – it felt good to get that done. A 90k book, give or take, which is a little overwhelming (despite the fact that my first 2 were over 120k, 120k disasters) given the content I want to make sure comes through. How does one (e.g. a person like me) actually, successfully, depict the end of civilization as Heloise knows it? Especially a civilization like the Resplendent City of Free Living?

Probably a paragraph at a time. An image at a time. A thread at a time. Patiently. (Which is not something I carry around in abundance.)

Anything I didn’t cover? Oh, I’ve started a blood elf mage in WoW – their ability to one-shot others is just too brutal/impressive not to. And since I have leveling gear, it should go fast. And, I’ve been wanting to play some Bioshock and Borderlands again. Perhaps because I have been thinking about my first Clarion short, “North like a Star,” and wanting desperately to revise it – the Borderlands world, the raw violence of it, bears comparison to Bellis’ world.

Pumpkin. Pumpkin everything. I also have that on the brain. There’s a fantastic new grocery store here, with beautiful organic produce, so I bought quite a bit of it and hope to cook it all this week – lovely chards & greens & mushrooms & leeks and so much more…perhaps tonight the Veggie Potpie Stew from Appetite for Reduction, after a run. It’s 70 degrees today! Maybe we’ll get a real fall here.

Mother’s Day has come and gone, which I’m glad for. Not nearly as traumatizing this year as last, which was the first without Mom; proof it does get easier, I suppose. And tomorrow I turn another year older. Never thought I’d be one of those people that bitch and moan about growing older, but turns out I am. Also, chances are very good I wrote this in a blog last year around my birthday. Perhaps I shall keep saying that every year from now out.

Last night I read “The Will and Testament of Jacqueline Ess,” a story from the Books of Blood collection by Clive Barker reprinted in a Datlow anthology I purchased some time back, and finally picked up off my floor. I was completely and utterly blown away, perhaps because it reminded me that that’s what I need to do with Harvester the book, and because of the way he wrote certain passages, the beauty and horror of what was happening, yet the grace of the words. In my friend (and esteemed writing peer) Steve’s words, “Beautiful and incisive and searing, rather than just scary or fun or gross.” Which means I’m going to Barnes and Noble at lunch today to buy the Books of Blood volumes.I meant to dither on about “Slobby Noes” a few days ago, the Veganomicon recipe with lentils instead of meat, but I forgot, and then didn’t take pictures, either. But highly, highly recommended. Lentils are seriously a wonder food. If you do them right.

My death knight is nearly level 70. I’m so terrible at it that it’s almost comical. But its very fun, too, having AoE abilities like Blood Boil, and Death and Decay. I’ll get better at it, I hope. And learn how to tank. And perhaps get a new chest-piece, since Derne’s current one doesn’t appear to offer much protection…

That’s right, tax hell is OVER. And I have no more excuses, which is why I’m working through the next revision chapter of Harvester the book (funny how much someone wanting to be a beta reader pushes you off the couch – thank you, Wendy! I so owe you), proofing Lightspeed content, reading slush, sending my rejected stories back out into the world, and finally (promptly) returning crits. And I will make good food again! There really is a way to abuse the pizza delivery man.
Oh, so a blog entry. Here’s the deal:

Go read Tom Crosshill’s “Mama, We are Zhenya, Your Son” in this week’s Lightspeed. It’s very…well, just read it yourself, so I don’t have to give anything away.

Game of Thrones premiered on HBO on Sunday. I will admit I’ve never read the books, and I also preface this with the fact that I’m a hard sell for epic fantasy these days. (I’m plugging away through the second Rothfuss, but mostly because the alchemy stuff fascinates me, and John tells me it’s worth it.) However, once you get past the “I am this kind of person and I live my life like so because I enjoy a, b, and c” lines, (which to be fair, are necessary for a new world – but oh, how annoying they are), it rocks. I’m fascinated by the White Walker everything, and the end absolutely HORRIFIED me. Like, to the point of tears horrified, and I wanted to do serious harm to the villain who did the serious crime.

We’re in the second season of Deadwood, which is thrilling me. I am simply in awe of the writing, and not a damn complaint about the acting. A peer commented to me that he thought the second season was slow, but I’m not finding that the case at all; even the contrary, as the Wilcott/Chez Amis everything is…terrifying, for lack of a better description.

What’s next? Oh, the next season of Dr. Who this weekend! I can’t wait.

We saw Hanna two weeks ago. (Maybe Limitless this weekend, which fellow Fragment Ilan assures me is worth it.) Very entertaining, and the music was especially excellent. I wasn’t too fond of Cate Blanchett, though; she didn’t seem to fit the role (which I don’t believe I’ve ever said about her before).

Reading: the Rothfuss, like I mentioned, and I’ve just finished Gordon Van Gelder’s Welcome to the Greenhouse anthology, which I will blog about separately. I’ve started Daryl Gregory’s Pandemonium, which is so far very accessible and entertaining, and Shimmer’s new issue is waiting for me on the ipad.

What else? Oh, I started a Blood Elf Death Knight named Derne. And then I spent a week leveling up blacksmithing and mining because why the hell would I fly around the Outlands doing quests and NOT do my professions at the same time? A week, and like 3k gold, because that’s the way it works. Thanks to Beris, the shadow priest sugar mama (who happens to be nearly all Bloodthirsty-geared out, with even some Vicious gear). Oh, and John has started a raid team, and we need members. (If you want to raid Monday/Wednesday nights and you’re on Baelgun, hit me up. Apparently, we need one ranged DPS, two melee, and two healers.) Because, priorities.

No blog entry wouldn’t be complete without food, so here is the curry laksa (or Moskowitz’s version) from Appetite for Reduction. I’ve made a few other things from there in the last few weeks, but alas, this is the only picture. I’m really excited to make more from Veganomican, too.

Oh, and eggrolls! With Morrocan rice. They were phenomenal. I should have put tofu in them, or more strips of egg, but oh well. The downside was that they definitely did not keep. While flavorful, they were scary soggy the next day. Oh, and the oil wasn’t a plus, either. I’d like to try baking them next time. If that’s even possible.

There’s a bird singing outside my office here at work. I think I’ll go back to the Harvester chapter.

Finally, some great progress on Deadwalker, which is back to “The Seedling Garden.” I got hung up on the ending over the weekend, and when I passed it to John for help, he pointed out that several elements were backwards in the worldbuilding, so I had to switch those around. It was very frustrating, and then I remembered that I’ve encountered this frustration on every story with different mechanics to the world – and that these mechanics don’t always present themselves immediately. Or, now that I think about it, they never do. “The Light Stones” took a dozen (or more) rewrites to hammer itself out. So did Harvester the short. And the ending of “The Seedling Garden” isn’t clear yet, but since I spent hours trying to clean it up yesterday, maybe the elements will work themselves into clarity. Here’s hoping it will be slow day so I can make that happen. And because I have Lightspeed stories to read, and Fragment crits to do.

Took a break in the writing last night to do my first set of WoW PVP’s two-on-two (two’s) with John on Rhenza his rogue, and me with Beris my shadow priest. We got our asses handed to us in a few games; all my fault, of course, because I was so nervous and just kind of panicked, and level 85 or not, I’m still new to the game. But I’m starting to learn when do to what – fear, silence, psychic horror, shadowfiend, etc. – and we managed to win enough to cap my points for the week. And now the week has started over, so maybe tonight, too, depending on how much of “The Seedling Garden” I finish.

I finally took away the suitcase Kitty had been sleeping on upstairs, which now has a thick layer of cat hair over it. He simply found a new place.

Last night we had Chinese food and champagne – John got a new job, and finished the first prototype (there will be many, many more in the future) of Carl the spider, his iPhone game! Very exciting. Sunday night, I went a little gungho with the Appetite for Reduction recipes. We had the Shaved Brussels Sprouts, the Broiled Blackened Tofu, and the Ginger Mashed Sweet Potatoes & Apples. The tofu was fantastic – tasted like chicken, honestly. I went a little light on the smoked paprika, since I don’t care for it very much, and I managed to burn the sweet potatoes/apples exactly as Moskowitz says not to do in the book, because I got distracted. The Brussels sprouts were great – mine weren’t crispy, but that’s probably because I had used frozen, not fresh.

Either way, a fantastic meal. I just wish I had the time to make three things from that cookbook every night. I did order another of her cookbooks, Veganomicon, which I should be getting shortly.

Reading: I’m about halfway through Strahan’s Best of SFF Volume 5, and I must admit, it’s not what I had expected. It’s entirely possible I’m getting more particular in my preferences, since that’s the way I’ve been heading with all the SFF magazines, and creating strong opinions as to what I prefer to read regarding novels. But I’ve loved Strahan’s “Best of” series more than any other out there, and of course every Eclipse anthology of his has just been stunning. This one, however, isn’t doing much for me. The stories are very well written, and there’s no shortage of excessive creativity, startling, in fact, and inspirational. But none have entranced me so far, which makes me a little sad. Nothing is better than a story that grips you from beginning to end. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy it, though. The stories are excellent, and I’m sure will speak to others if not me.

We’ve also started FullMetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, which is now on Netflix. We had watched it online in subtitles as it was streaming back in 2009, and while it’s dubbed now, the voices are excellent (albeit different), and the show is still excellent, and highly recommended; it has the typical anime silly moments, but the layering! And there is no attempt to sugarcoat anything. (The seven deadly sins are PEOPLE in this show. Well, homunculi. So go watch.) I had new ideas for the people around Heloise in Harvester the book, and how they’re affected by her alchemy. What happens to them when she screws up, and is attempting to make the alloy work. It was very inspiring.

Now I just need more time.

Three more weeks of tax season!

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Update on the reading status: go buy the Strahan antho I mentioned earlier. Maureen McHugh’s story is fantastic. I just stared out in space about halfway through, a little shellshocked. I want to write more about it, but don’t want to give out spoilers. And Diana Peterfreund’s unicorn story is gorgeous – this is why I love YA writing so much. Well chosen.

>My head is full of mush this morning – a combination of too much tax dithering and a computer screen, which wasn’t aided by my joining Twitter yesterday (@erinstocks). If I knew it was that much fun, I would have joined long ago.

But on to more important things, like reaching 80 on my shadow priest. Now Cataclysm quests! And better gear. And soon I will be as good as everyone else.

Gingery noodles with tofu last night – a lovely vegan dish:

One of the best meals I may have ever had. And yes, from Appetite for Reduction. I did cheat with the tofu, since I bought it pre-marinated in a light peanut sesame sauce. The noodles were supposed to be soba, but I only had udon and lo mein, so I opted for the former, mixed with sauteed bok choy, red onion, garlic, fresh ginger, some sesame oil for fun (sesame seeds would be fun, too, although neither the oil nor the seeds are in the actual recipe) and…that’s all I remember, but there could have been one to two more ingredients. And a ton of sriracha. Broiled the tofu 4 minutes or so on each side, so it has a lovely coating while soft in the middle. Astoundingly good, environmentally friendly, and no painful deaths involved. Wins all around.

I seriously need to do some writing today. And then think about meals for this weekend, because Molly sent me cookbooks!